Positioning WAP (UniFi 6 Lite)

[Wings]

Hi all,

I live in a new build house with steel stud walls that I think cause me to have poor wifi coverage. Currently I have a fairly decent router under the stairs but I struggle for signal in upstairs bedrooms.

To help alleviate this I have bought two UniFi 6 Lite WAPs which will be connected via POE to a switch under the stairs. I can put them anywhere in the house, but I would guess centrally on each floor is not the best option because they will have significant overlap. Current best guess is below (stars = WAP)

'Dining room' is actually the sitting room, Bedroom 3 is a study. I am installing ethernet for TVs etc but this is a slow process. Main aim is to have good wireless signal in every downstairs room and bedrooms 1 and 3. Not bothered about bedroom 2.

I am thinking (hoping) I am overcomplicating this and that they are more than good enough to cover each floor in its entirety; it isn't a ridiculously big house!

Thoughts appreciated!

 

[the-evaluator]

That's probably the layout I'd go for. Can you install them in those locations temporarily (using command strips or similar to hold them to the ceiling) and see how well they perform before drilling?

 

[WJA96]

The UniFi rule-of-thumb is one wall or one floor and one wall. So I’d be tempted to ceiling mount just the one on the right (upstairs plan). I would be shocked if that didn’t cover everywhere. Certainly at 2.4GHz. I have access point stands that I use to position the access points before fix8ng them to the ceiling and you’d be shocked how often you only need one ceiling mounted in the stairwell to give really good coverage over a whole house.

 

[Avalon]

Exactly as per the above, I can cover three floors with one AP, the 5Ghz on the bottom floor isn’t going to set any records for speed, but it’ll hold a connection and stream OK. Start with the upstairs install and see what it’s like, if you aren’t sure about position, you can always lay it in the roof space and test first - obviously when properly mounted, it has no ceiling in the way so will be better.